n.
Pronunciation: ' klau ̇ d
Function: noun
Usage: often attrib
Etymology: Middle English, rock, cloud, from Old English cl ū d; perhaps akin to Greek gloutos buttock
Date: 14th century
1 : a visible mass of particles of condensed vapor (as water or ice) suspended in the atmosphere of a planet (as the earth) or moon
2 : something resembling or suggesting a cloud: as a : a light filmy, puffy, or billowy mass seeming to float in the air <a cloud of blond hair> <a ship under a cloud of sail> b (1) : a usually visible mass of minute particles suspended in the air or a gas (2) : an aggregation of usually obscuring matter especially in interstellar space (3) : an aggregate of charged particles (as electrons) c : a great crowd or multitude : SWARM < cloud s of mosquitoes>
3 : something that has a dark, lowering, or threatening aspect < cloud s of war> <a cloud of suspicion>
4 : something that obscures or blemishes <a cloud of ambiguity>
5 : a dark or opaque vein or spot (as in marble or a precious stone)
cloud 1: 1 cirrus, 2 cirrostratus, 3 cirrocumulus, 4 altostratus, 5 altocumulus, 6 stratocumulus, 7 nimbostratus, 8 cumulus, 9 cumulonimbus, 10 stratus